The present invention relates generally to riding vehicles and, more particularly, to a riding vehicle that may be folded for ease of transport and storage.
Tricycles have long been a popular type of riding vehicle for children. A tricycle features a front wheel that is equipped with pedals and a pair of rear wheels that are spaced apart and joined to the front wheel by a frame. A seat is typically mounted to the frame. The frame of a conventional tricycle is rigid and includes a head tube that receives a post. The front wheel is attached to the bottom of the post via a fork. Handlebars are attached to the top end of the post and the post pivots about its longitudinal axis within the head tube. As a result, the tricycle may be steered by the handlebars.
A conventional tricycle features a rigid frame. As a result, conventional tricycles are often cumbersome to carry, transport and store. In response to this issue, a variety of folding tricycle arrangements have been developed.
One type of popular folding tricycle is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 6,152,473 to Shih and U.S. Pat. No. 6,575,486 to Ma. Each of these two patents discloses a tricycle that features a four element frame, where the four frame elements are pivotally joined. More specifically, a front element is mounted to the pivoting front wheel and handlebars, a middle element has a seat mounted thereto and the rear wheels are mounted to a rear element. The front and rear frame elements are both pivotally mounted to the middle element while a linking element joins the front and rear elements. The linking element is pivotally connected to the front element by its leading end and to the rear element by its trailing end.
As each of the tricycles of the Shih '473 and Ma '486 patents is folded, the front and rear elements pivot clockwise with respect to the middle element. As a result, the seat travels towards the handlebars and the rear wheels travel toward the front wheel. This provides each tricycle with a compact folded configuration that is easy to carry and store.
A disadvantage of the design of the Shih '473 and Ma '486 patents, however, is that each of the four frame elements are pivotally connected to two other frame elements. This results in numerous pivot points which decreases the strength and durability of the tricycle. In addition, a greater number of pivot points and frame links increases manufacturing costs. The design could also provide a pinch hazard in that the four frame elements define a space that could receive a child's hand or arm. This space diminishes as the tricycle is folded so that the child's hand or arm could be trapped therein and possibly pinched.
Alternative folding tricycle designs are presented in U.S. Pat. No. 2,619,364 to Carson and U.S. Pat. No. 4,457,529 to Shamie et al. Each of these patents illustrates a folding tricycle where the rear wheels pivot toward the front wheel as the tricycle is folded. The remaining portion of the tricycle frame is rigid. While such a design is effective and durable, the folded configuration is only slightly more compact than the unfolded/riding configuration.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a folding riding vehicle that is easy and safe to fold.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a folding riding vehicle that folds into a compact configuration that is easy to carry and store.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a folding riding vehicle that is durable and safe to ride.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a folding riding vehicle that is economical to manufacture.